§10.2.24εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀκαρνανίας ὅτι μὲν αὐτὴν ὁ Λαέρτης καὶ οἱ Κεφαλλῆνες κατεκτήσαντο εἴρηται ἡμῖν, τίνων δὲ κατεχόντων πρότερον πολλοὶ μὲν εἰρήκασιν· οὐχ ὁμολογούμενα δὲ εἰπόντων ἐπιφανῆ δέ, ἀπολείπεταί τις λόγος ἡμῖν διαιτητικὸς περὶ αὐτῶν.
\nImmediately concerning Acarnania, we have already stated that Laertes and the Cephallenians conquered it, but as to who held it before them, many have spoken; since, however, they say things that are not agreed upon but yet are famous, there is left to us a certain task of arbitration concerning them.
φασὶ γὰρ τοὺς Ταφίους τε καὶ Τηλεβόας λεγομένους οἰκεῖν τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν πρότερον, καὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα αὐτῶν Κέφαλον τὸν κατασταθέντα ὑπὸ Ἀμφιτρύωνος κύριον τῶν περὶ τὴν Τάφον νήσων κυριεῦσαι καὶ ταύτης τῆς χώρας· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Λευκάτα νομιζόμενον ἅλμα τούτῳ πρώτῳ προσμυθεύουσιν, ὡς προείρηται.
For they say that those called Taphians and Teleboans inhabited Acarnania earlier, and that their leader Cephalus, who was established by Amphitryon as lord of the islands around Taphos, also became master of this country; and hence they mythologically attribute the customary leap from Leucatas to him as the first, as has been said before.
ὁ δὲ ποιητὴς ὅτι μὲν ἦρχον οἱ Τάφιοι τῶν Ἀκαρνάνων πρὶν ἢ τοὺς Κεφαλλῆνας καὶ τὸν Λαέρτην ἐπελθεῖν οὐ λέγει, διότι δʼ ἦσαν φίλοι τοῖς Ἰθακησίοις λέγει, ὥστʼ ἢ οὐδʼ ὅλως ἐπῆρξαν τῶν τόπων κατʼ αὐτόν, ἢ ἑκόντες παρεχώρησαν ἢ καὶ σύνοικοι ἐγένοντο.
But the poet does not say that the Taphians ruled the Acarnanians before the Cephallenians and Laertes came, though he does say that they were friends to the Ithacans, so that, according to him, either they did not rule over those places at all, or they withdrew voluntarily, or they even became joint-settlers.
φαίνονται δὲ καὶ ἐκ Λακεδαίμονός τινες ἐποικῆσαι τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν, οἱ μετʼ Ἰκαρίου τοῦ Πηνελόπης πατρός· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτον καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῆς ζῶντας παραδίδωσιν ὁ ποιητὴς κατὰ τὴν Ὀδύσσειαν
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οἳ πατρὸς μὲν ἐς οἶκον ἀπερρίγασι νέεσθαι Ἰκαρίου, ὥς κʼ αὐτὸς ἐεδνώσαιτο θύγατρα. "
καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν
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ἤδη γάρ ῥα πατήρ τε κασίγνητοί τε κέλονται Εὐρυμάχῳ γήμασθαι
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οὔτε γὰρ ἐν Λακεδαίμονι πιθανὸν αὐτοὺς οἰκεῖν (οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὁ Τηλέμαχος παρὰ Μενελάῳ κατήγετο ἀφιγμένος ἐκεῖσε), οὔτʼ ἄλλην οἴκησιν παρειλήφαμεν αὐτῶν.
And it appears that some also from Lacedaemon migrated into Acarnania, those with Icarius, the father of Penelope; for the poet represents both him and her brothers as living in the Odyssey:\n'Who shrink from going to the house of her father Icarius, so that he himself might dower his daughter.'\nAnd concerning the brothers:\n'For already indeed her father and brothers are bidding her to marry Eurymachus.'\nFor it is not plausible that they lived in Lacedaemon (for Telemachus would not have been lodged with Menelaus upon arriving there), nor have we received any other dwelling place of theirs.
φασὶ δὲ Τυνδάρεων καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἰκάριον ἐκπεσόντας ὑπὸ Ἱπποκόωντος τῆς οἰκείας ἐλθεῖν παρὰ Θέστιον τὸν τῶν Πλευρωνίων ἄρχοντα, καὶ συγκατακτήσασθαι τὴν πέραν τοῦ Ἀχελώου πολλὴν ἐπὶ μέρει· τὸν μὲν οὖν Τυνδάρεων ἐπανελθεῖν οἴκαδε γήμαντα Λήδαν τὴν τοῦ Θεστίου θυγατέρα, τὸν δʼ Ἰκάριον ὑπομεῖναι τῆς Ἀκαρνανίας ἔχοντα μέρος, καὶ τεκνοποιήσασθαι τήν τε Πηνελόπην ἐκ Πολυκάστης τῆς Λυγαίου θυγατρὸς καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῆς.
They say that Tyndareus and his brother Icarius, having been expelled by Hippocoon from their own home, came to Thestius, the ruler of the Pleuronians, and helped him to conquer much of the land beyond the Achelous on condition of receiving a share; Tyndareus indeed returned home after marrying Leda, the daughter of Thestius, while Icarius remained behind, holding a part of Acarnania, and begot Penelope from Polycaste, the daughter of Lygaeus, and her brothers.
ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἀπεδείξαμεν ἐν τῷ καταλόγῳ τῶν νεῶν καὶ τοὺς Ἀκαρνᾶνας καταριθμουμένους καὶ μετασχόντας τῆς ἐπὶ Ἴλιον στρατείας, ἐν οἷς κατωνομάζοντο οἵ τε τὴν ἀκτὴν οἰκοῦντες καὶ ἔτι
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οἵ τʼ ἤπειρον ἔχον ἠδʼ ἀντιπέραιʼ ἐνέμοντο. "
οὔτε δʼ ἡ ἤπειρος Ἀκαρνανία ὠνομάζετό πω οὔθʼ ἡ ἀκτὴ Λευκάς. §10.2.25Ἔφορος δʼ οὔ φησι συστρατεῦσαι· Ἀλκμέωνα γὰρ τὸν Ἀμφιάρεω στρατεύσαντα μετὰ Διομήδους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἐπιγόνων καὶ κατορθώσαντα τὸν πρὸς Θηβαίους πόλεμον συνελθεῖν Διομήδει καὶ τιμωρήσασθαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ τοὺς Οἰνέως ἐχθρούς, παραδόντα δʼ ἐκείνοις τὴν Αἰτωλίαν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν παρελθεῖν καὶ ταύτην καταστρέφεσθαι.
Now we have shown in the Catalogue of Ships that the Acarnanians also were numbered and took part in the expedition against Ilium, among whom were named those who inhabited the coast and further\n'those who held the mainland and dwelt on the opposite shore.'\nBut neither was the mainland yet named Acarnania, nor the coast Leucas.\n\nEphorus, however, says that they did not join the expedition; for Alcmaeon, the son of Amphiaraus, having made the campaign with Diomedes and the other Epigoni and having successfully finished the war against the Thebans, joined Diomedes and with him took vengeance on the enemies of Oeneus, and having handed over Aetolia to them, he himself went into Acarnania and subdued it.
Ἀγαμέμνονα δʼ ἐν τούτῳ τοῖς Ἀργείοις ἐπιθέμενον κρατῆσαι ῥᾳδίως, τῶν πλείστων τοῖς περὶ Διομήδη συνακολουθησάντων.
Meanwhile Agamemnon, having attacked the Argives, easily overcame them, since the majority had followed Diomedes and his men.
μικρὸν δʼ ὕστερον ἐπιπεσούσης τῆς ἐπʼ Ἴλιον ἐξόδου, δείσαντα μὴ ἀπόντος αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν στρατείαν ἐπανελθόντες οἴκαδε οἱ περὶ τὸν Διομήδη (καὶ γὰρ ἀκούεσθαι μεγάλην περὶ αὐτὸν συνεστραμμένην δύναμιν) κατάσχοιεν τὴν μάλιστα προσήκουσαν αὐτοῖς ἀρχήν (τὸν μὲν γὰρ Ἀδράστου τὸν δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς εἶναι κληρονόμον), ταῦτα δὴ διανοηθέντα καλεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐπί τε τὴν τοῦ Ἄργους ἀπόληψιν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τοῦ πολέμου· τὸν μὲν οὖν Διομήδη πεισθέντα μετασχεῖν τῆς στρατείας, τὸν δὲ Ἀλκμέωνα ἀγανακτοῦντα μὴ φροντίσαι· διὰ δὲ τοῦτο μηδὲ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς στρατείας μόνους τοὺς Ἀκαρνᾶνας τοῖς Ἕλλησι·
A little later, when the expedition against Ilium arose, Agamemnon, fearing lest in his absence during the campaign Diomedes and his men should return home (for it was heard that a great force was gathered around him) and seize the rule that most belonged to them (for one was the heir of Adrastus, the other of his own father), thinking indeed of these things, invited them to the recovery of Argos and the sharing of the war; Diomedes indeed was persuaded to share in the expedition, but Alcmaeon, being angry, paid no heed; and because of this, the Acarnanians alone of the Greeks did not share in the expedition.
τούτοις δʼ, ὡς εἰκός, τοῖς λόγοις ἐπακολουθήσαντες οἱ Ἀκαρνᾶνες σοφίσασθαι λέγονται Ῥωμαίους καὶ τὴν αὐτονομίαν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐξανύσασθαι, λέγοντες ὡς οὐ μετάσχοιεν μόνοι τῆς ἐπὶ τοὺς προγόνους τοὺς ἐκείνων στρατείας· οὔτε γὰρ ἐν τῷ Αἰτωλικῷ καταλόγῳ φράζοιντο οὔτε ἰδίᾳ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅλως τοὔνομα τοῦτʼ ἐμφέροιτο ἐν τοῖς ἔπεσιν. §10.2.26ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἔφορος πρὸ τῶν Τρωικῶν ἤδη τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν ὑπὸ τῷ Ἀλκμέωνι ποιήσας, τό τε Ἄργος τὸ Ἀμφιλοχικὸν ἐκείνου κτίσμα ἀποφαίνει, καὶ τὴν Ἀκαρνανίαν ὠνομάσθαι φησὶν ἀπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ Ἀκαρνᾶνος, Ἀμφιλόχους δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Ἀμφιλόχου·
Following these stories, as is natural, the Acarnanians are said to have outwitted the Romans and to have obtained their autonomy from them, saying that they alone did not participate in the expedition against the ancestors of the Romans; for they were mentioned neither in the Aetolian catalogue nor individually, for indeed this name did not appear at all in the epics.\n\nEphorus, then, having placed Acarnania under Alcmaeon even before the Trojan War, represents the Amphilochian Argos as his foundation, and says that Acarnania was named after his son Acarnan, and the Amphilochians after his brother Amphilochus; so that he falls into statements contrary to the Homeric history.
ὥστε ἐκπίπτει εἰς τὰ παρὰ τὴν ὁμηρικὴν ἱστορίαν λεγόμενα. Θουκυδίδης δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τὸν Ἀμφίλοχον ἀπὸ τῆς στρατείας τῆς Τρωικῆς ἐπανιόντα, οὐκ ἀρεσκόμενον τοῖς ἐν Ἄργει, ταύτην οἰκῆσαί φασι τὴν χώραν, οἱ μὲν κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἥκοντα τῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ δυναστείας, οἱ δʼ ἄλλως.
But Thucydides and others say that Amphilochus, on returning from the Trojan expedition, not being pleased with the state of affairs in Argos, settled this country, some saying that he came by succession to the dynasty of his brother, and others otherwise.
καὶ ἰδίᾳ μὲν περὶ Ἀκαρνάνων ταῦτα λέγοιτʼ ἄν, κοινῇ δʼ ὅσα καὶ τοῖς Αἰτωλικοῖς ἐπιπλέκεται νῦν ἐροῦμεν, τὰ Αἰτωλικὰ λέγοντες ἐφεξῆς ὅσα προσλαβεῖν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἔγνωμεν.
Individually indeed these things might be said about the Acarnanians, but collectively we shall now tell whatever is also intertwined with the Aetolian history, speaking next of those Aetolian matters which we have decided to add to what has been said.